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As a busy internet entrepreneur I rarely take the opportunity to be where the news is happening — and in Israel there’s a news story on almost every corner. However, when I heard Vice President Joe Biden was coming to Tel Aviv Unviersity, I couldn’t resist catching a glimpse of the Obama administration in action.

Cross-Posted at Sababi Blog:

Unfortunately, Vice President Joe Biden’s speech at Tel Aviv University today was anything but ground breaking. In an effort to smooth the ruffled feathers of Jews in both Israel and the United States, Biden filled his speech with old school Zionist rhetoric and Jewish centric mantras playing right into Netanyahu’s hands. If the United Stated intends to be the “true friends,” as Biden called the two states today, then the Obama administration is going to have to do a lot more than simply condemn the Israeli government’s plans–the United States must also part with the old Zionist rhetoric that degrades the Israeli democracy by alienating the Arab-Israeli population, weakens the Israeli left and rots out any chance of a truly sustainable peace.

The Demographic Dilemma

If you’ve ever been to a pro-Israel lecture, you’ve probably heard about the demographic dilemma.  The premises is simple: the Arab population is growing faster than the Jewish population in the State of Israel — creating a threat to the Jewish identity of the State of Israel.

While this 1950s rhetoric has continued to be popular amongst right-wing Jewish leaders, I was shocked that Biden used the demographic dilemma to make a case for a two-state solution. And I quote: “It’s no secret the demographic realities make it increasingly difficult for Israel to remain both a Jewish homeland and a democratic country in the absence of the Palestinian state.”

As Biden mentioned, Israel’s democracy deserves praise. In addition to being comprised of people from vastly different cultures–as Biden mentioned–over 20% of Israel’s population are Israeli-Arabs, or Palestinians.  Surely a large portion of these residents want nothing more than a Palestinian state, however many Arab-Israelis have come to embrace Israel not just as a democratic state, but as a Jewish one as well.

Exhibit A: A recent poll published by the Maagar Mochot research institution revealed that nearly half of Jewish-Israeli high school students do not believe Israeli Arabs are entitled to the same rights as Israelis, and more than half feel Arabs should not be allowed to run for the Knesset. On the other hand, “half of Arab-Israeli youth see themselves as Israelis and 72% of Arab youth feel part of the state, a similar proportion of “accept Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state” (only available in Hebrew).

Exhibit B: The Arab-Israeli woman sitting next to me, who upon hearing Biden’s remarks about the demographic dilemma, scoffed at the idea that an increasing Arab population will mean the end to the Jewish state.

Shortly after his remarks about the demographic dilemma, Biden proceeded to tell a personal story about his experience with Zionism:

I had said in a speech in the United States some years ago for which I got some criticism, I said were I a Jew, I would be a Zionist. And it got a lot of national publicity, how could I say that, until I was reminded by my father you need not be a Jew to be a Zionist.

While this story illustrates Biden’s wholehearted intentions to support the Jewish people, coupled with his statements about the demographic dilemma Biden’s remarks ended up alienating one of the most important populations for the peace process — Israeli-Arabs. If the United States intends to be “the friends that delivers the hardest truth,” the Obama Administration must also publicly acknowledge the strategic role Israeli-Arabs play in the peace process and deliver speeches for the entire population of Israel–not just the Jewish one.

While the core of Biden’s visit has been focused on Netanyahu’s latest plan to build 1,600 new apartments in a Jewish neighborhood in disputed east Jerusalem, Biden failed to acknowledge the current demolition of Arab homes in Sheikh Jarrah and bolster the efforts of thousands of Israelis who have been protesting the demolition in East Jerusalem for the past month, many of which are Tel Aviv Unvierstiy students.

Definitely disappointed, and even a little suprised, I felt a sense dejavu ascending and the memory of the Bush administration’s policy towards Israel coming to haunt me. As an Israeli-American citizen and Zionist, I truly hope that the Obama administration won’t stop at publicly condemning Israel, but will use more powerful tactics to provoke Israel to make the big changes that a prospective peace depends on.